This Li-ion Battery Design Can Recharge Fully Using Rays of Sunshine

Recently a group of Japanese researchers led by Mitsunobu Sato have put together a Li-ion battery design that is transparent and able to recharge itself using solar technology. The battery is an innovative piece of technology that could one day potentially help to reduce the use of electricity to charge devices like smartphones, laptops and other small objects.

The battery functions by using its transparent casing "smart window" to collect energy from the sun to recharge. As the "smart window" harnesses energy from the sun's rays, the becomes slightly more opaque taking in less and less light as needed. The light then prompts the electrons inside the battery to the negative electrodes so that the battery can then be charged.